11 days till the battles begin

In eleven days a new chapter in Buccaneers history will be ushered in. With the team scheduled to report on 31, July. The teams’ first training camp practice under the guidance of new head coach Raheem Morris is to take place the following morning. With Morris the preacher of intense violent physical smash mouth controlled chaos leading his bunch of hired helmet wielding trash talking pelvic thrusting rag tag group of merry men onto the practice fields at One Buc place for an advanced lesson in the finer points of physical toughness that the team has lacked in recent years.

But this years inaugural camp under the master of madden could turn into a media circus should two players the team is squabbling with over long term contract extensions decide to take a stand. Both Donald Penn & Barrett Ruud have voiced their displeasure this off-season with the lack of movement by the front office on deals that could secure what some fans believe are two core players and part of the foundation for success moving forward.

The uncertainty over whether or not guard Arron Sears will be a no show only adds fuel too the fire.

With new offensive and defensive coordinators’ implementing new schemes that are a stark contrast too what has been run under the former regime the last thing a new head coach needs is hold outs or no shows by three prominent members the team is counting on and building game plans around.

The problems could run deeper then hold outs and no shows should the personnel not match the schemes.

With young unproven players fighting other young unproven players for starting spots the general thinking is that the cream will rise to the top, but there is no guarantee that any of the current players will be able to take the necessary steps.

Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist the over abundance of questions surrounding the 2009 Buccaneers has many pundits and fans tempering there expectations in regards to the outcome of the season.

Instead many Buccaneer faithful will be looking for how the team responds in adverse situations to the coaching of Morris and the growth of the young players when put on the spot. Ultimately how the players respond too such adversity will be the tell tale sign of whether or not the future is bright or just a flickering light.